Privilege 4 - Sweet Deceit (4 page)

Ariana laughed. "I love it! But isn't Connie a little bulky to be Seal?" Lexa's new boyfriend Conrad was built like a pro linebacker, with a thick neck, broad shoulders, and muscles to spare.

"He'll dress slim," Lexa replied. "And all I need is a blond wig, a short skirt, and a serious leg wax. What are you going as?"

"I don't know," Ariana said, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Halloween's never been my favorite holiday. I never really got the fun of dressing up."

"Oh, but you have to!" Lexa said. "You can't go to Soomie's party without a costume. Everyone's going all out. You know, for Brigit."

The name hung in the air between them. Ariana looked at Lexa, then quickly turned to gaze out the window. Old-school torchlights glowed all across the campus like a handful of low-hanging stars. Lexa sighed and leaned back on her hands.

"Was it wrong of us to convince Soomie to have the party? Everyone's still . . . I mean, I'm still spontaneously bursting into tears all the time. And Soomie's been so depressed," she said, squinting and chewing on her bottom lip. "Is it, I don't know . . . too soon to try to have fun?"

Ariana took a deep breath. "No. Y guys were right. It's what she would have wanted. Maybe it'll cheer everyone up a little. I think if we do it

ou right, it'll be good. It'll be like . . . keeping her spirit alive."

Lexa nodded slowly. There was a long moment of silence. "I really miss her."

"Me too," Ariana said, her heart heavy.

"I'm so glad you transferred here, Briana Leigh," Lexa said, reaching over to hug Ariana. Ariana stiffened at the use of her full fake name. Lexa had known the real Briana Leigh Covington when the two of them were kids, and every once in a while she would drop her full name, reminding Ariana of how fragile her assumed identity was. One slip and Lexa could realize she was an imposter. "Having you here and becoming friends again after all this time. It's like . . . I don't know . . . it makes me think life can't be that bad, you know?"

Ariana hugged Lexa back, staring blankly over her shoulder at the framed photo of Briana Leigh's ranch back in Texas--one of the personal items Briana Leigh's maid had mailed to her at the beginning of the school year. Ariana knew exactly how bad life could be. Her very presence here at APH, the very fact that she was walking around masquerading as Briana Leigh Covington, was the result of how bad life could be. And she knew that as long as Kaitlynn Nottingham was here, getting her way, life was only going to get worse. NO GUARANTEES

Ariana hustled across campus on a still, cool Tuesday night, headed for the library, hoping that a change of scenery would help her concentrate on her homework. She was so stressed she didn't even take the time to notice the gorgeous shades of the changing leaves around her or turn her head at the sound of shouts and laughter from one of the dorms. She couldn't believe the number of assignments that had been piled on her that day. With all she had to deal with, schoolwork had fallen woefully low on her list of priorities. Which really wasn't going to cut it if she wanted to fulfill her lifelong dream of getting into Princeton.

A few yards away from the double-oak doors of the stately redbrick library, Ariana heard a crack, then an under-the-breath curse and the telltale crunch of leaves underfoot. She paused and looked around. There were a few people crisscrossing the campus, but no one near enough to be heard that distinctly. Someone was hiding nearby, watching her. A buzz of fear-tinged excitement raced through her and she clutched the strap on her bag, taking a deep breath and trying to appear calm. This was it. Hell Week was here.

A moment passed and suddenly, two dark figures sprang out of the bushes and threw a black hood over her head.

"Come with us," a gruff voice said in her ear.

Ariana didn't scream or struggle. Instead she concentrated on not tripping as two hands gripped her arms and hurried her forward. She took long, deliberate breaths, which wasn't easy given that her face was covered and the sour scent of mildew filled her nostrils. At first it seemed as if they were headed for the library, but then they took an abrupt turn, and another, and another, until she was completely confused and dizzy. By the time she heard a door creak open and was hurried awkwardly down a set of hard, shallow steps, Ariana was sweating profusely and panting unattractively. At the very bottom of the stairs, one of her two kidnappers tripped. She flew forward, but they caught her before she could fall flat on her face. The tripper muttered something unintelligible and they kept moving.

For one blissful moment, cool air rushed in around Ariana, but as she and her captors shuffled on, the atmosphere gradually grew warmer, and she could sense the glow of warm light through the tiny holes in the fabric of the hood. Her shoes made scratching sounds on the floor, as if she was walking across silty concrete. Suddenly, someone grabbed her, holding her in place.

"Don't move," a male voice growled in her ear.

Ariana bowed her head but said nothing. A shoulder knocked hers and she almost tripped sideways. Somewhere off to her right, a guy cursed.

"Quiet, plebe!" a gravelly voice shouted.

Someone yanked something over Ariana's head. For a second she thought they were putting another hood atop the first one and the lack of air was stifling. But then, the sack was pulled down over her clothes and she realized it was a robe of some kind. It was thick, itchy, and suffocating and smelled of onion and mothballs and dust. Ariana breathed through her mouth as nimble fingers worked quickly to tie something around her waist. Then, mercifully, her hood was yanked off from behind.

Ariana took a deep breath. Her throat itched with a cough, but she held it in. She didn't want to appear weak in front of the members of Stone and Grave, all of whom were standing in front of her--a sea of black robes, faces obscured by silver and black masks. Surrounding the membership were shelves and shelves of books. Thousands of them lined the walls, stretching off into the darkness. The glow Ariana had sensed while still blindfolded emanated from a collection of black candles that littered every surface. Ariana glanced around and saw Kaitlynn standing directly to her left. Lined up next to her were Tahira, Allison, Landon, Adam, and the blond guy she'd seen talking to Christian at Brigit's memorial. These, apparently, were her male counterparts. All of them were wearing roughly hewn burlap robes over their clothes, and each was tied with a plain white rope belt. Ariana could feel the itchy material through her light wool coat, and sweat began to prickle under her arms. Whoever had removed her blindfold still stood behind her, and the knowledge that someone she couldn't see was hovering so close made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Welcome to the Tombs."

A broad, obviously male figure stepped away from the rest of the Stone and Grave membership. He was followed by a petite female member.

"Welcome to Stone and Grave," she said.

Ariana recognized their voices and statures. They were the same two Stone and Gravers who had greeted them in the woods on the night of their first kidnapping. The night they'd first found out they had been tapped. The guy's Stone and Grave name was Lear and the girl's was Miss Temple. Just as she was wondering if she'd ever find out who they really were, they both reached up and removed their hoods, then their masks.

Ariana's breath caught. Lear was none other than Lexa's boyfriend, the athletic, dark, and handsome Conrad Royce, and Miss Temple was April Corrigan, the intelligent, no-nonsense editor of the Ash literary magazine. April's red curls spilled out over her shoulders in stark contrast to the black velvet robe, and the candlelight was reflected in the lenses of her small tortoiseshell glasses.

"I am Lear," Conrad said, his deep voice reverberating through the room. "This is Miss Temple," he added, gesturing at April. "We will be your pledge educators."

Ariana pressed her lips together to keep from smiling to herself. She already had an in with both of her pledge educators. She sat next to Conrad in English class and was the one who'd hooked Connie up with Lexa, and she and April had totally bonded at the Ash meetings.

"Y have all completed your first task, and completed it admirably," April said, looking each of them in the eye with an imperious scowl. Her Irish

ou accent came through loud and clear, and Ariana was impressed that she had been able to disguise it so well. "Y have taken your first steps

ou toward full membership in Stone and Grave."

Ariana felt a smile playing around her lips and struggled to keep a straight face.

"But your journey is just beginning," Conrad added, his voice deadly serious. He paced along the line of pledges, dwarfing even Landon, the tallest of the boys. "It's a journey that can reap for you the greatest rewards. Membership in Stone and Grave means power. It means prestige. It means success in anything and everything you wish to achieve. Y brothers and sisters in Stone and Grave will be there for you to celebrate your

our greatest triumphs, but even more important, they will be there to lift you up if ever you should fall." He paused, back at the center of the line, standing directly across from Ariana. "Membership in Stone and Grave means you will never want for a thing."

The rest of the Stone and Grave membership stood as still as statues, but Ariana couldn't help shifting from one foot to the other as a skitter of excitement went through her. She was so close she could taste it. Princeton, here I come.

"But it is not guaranteed," April added, ducking her chin as she gazed at them. "As you know, we have four open spots for female members, three for male . . . but that does not mean that we have to take all four women, or all three men."

Ariana's heart plummeted. She felt Kaitlynn tense up next to her. Not guaranteed. Not guaranteed.

Even with Brigit's death, their membership was not guaranteed. "This is an exclusive society," Conrad said. "We are not about quantity, we are about quality. If you don't measure up, you don't get in. It's as simple as that. We'll take all of you . . . or some . . . or none."

A lump as hard as a rock formed in Ariana's throat and she suddenly felt the extreme heat coming off the candles. Kaitlynn had murdered Brigit to ensure herself a spot in Stone and Grave, but her spot was not ensured by Brigit's absence. No one's was.

Ariana's hand automatically gripped her forearm, her fingers cutting off all circulation as she squeezed. Brigit was dead for no reason. No reason. No reason at all. Ariana's vision started to prickle over with tiny gray dots. She was going to faint. Or worse. She had to get control. Now.

Just breathe, Ariana.

In, one . . . two . . . three . . .

Out, one . . . two . . . three . . .

Thick, waxy air filled Ariana's lungs and her vision slowly began to clear. She had to concentrate on her current purpose. She had to concentrate on Kaitlynn. Kaitlynn, who had to be freaking out right about now. Because Kaitlynn needed Stone and Grave even more than Ariana did. While Ariana had Briana Leigh Covington's past to build on, Kaitlynn had nothing. No money, no family, nothing. Her very identity was a complete fabrication. Ariana knew that Kaitlynn was hoping that Stone and Grave would offer her stability, a sort of de facto family--a network to rely on for money, places to stay, college recommendations--her whole future. Which was why she'd gone so far as to kill to get in.

Slowly, Ariana turned her head so that she could see Kaitlynn from the corner of her eye. Kaitlynn's skin looked sickly pale in the candlelight, like she was about to throw up. For a split second, Ariana's heart almost went out to her.

"Over the next two weeks you will be led through a series of tasks," April said, shaking her red curls back from her face. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and gave the pledges a no-nonsense glare. "And I want to be perfectly clear on this. When it comes to these tasks, failure is not an option."

Behind April and Conrad, the members of Stone and Grave stood still and hushed. This was a serious directive. If ever the pledges wanted to be standing on the other side of this ceremony, they had better not screw up.

"We will meet tomorrow night at midnight, on the steps of the chapel," Conrad said. "Don't be late."

With that, a hood was yanked over Ariana's head again, and she was unceremoniously dragged up the stairs with the rest of the pledges. PROVE IT

Ariana was the first to arrive at the foot of the chapel steps on Wednesday night. There was no sign of Conrad or April. Tahira and Allison were on their way--she'd heard them gabbing in their room about what to wear as she'd left the dorm. The guys would probably be the last to arrive, because they'd want to look cool and blas� about the whole thing. But the person she was most curious about was Kaitlynn.

Kaitlynn, whom Ariana hadn't seen all day.

She'd been up and out of the room before Ariana's alarm had ever gone off and she'd been MIA ever since. During the two classes the two of them shared, her desk had remained vacant and she hadn't shown up for any of the day's meals. By the time the dinner dishes were cleared, Ariana had started to suspect that Kaitlynn was gone for good.

Was it even possible? Had the news that her spot in Stone and Grave was not guaranteed sent her over the edge? Maybe she'd taken what was left of her money and gone off to start a new life. Ariana knew the very prospect should have sent her screaming gleefully across campus, turning cartwheels and hugging every person she met, but instead she felt an odd sense of disappointment.

A cold breeze tossed a yellow leaf across Ariana's foot. She looked down at it as it blew off into the night, and sighed.

"You're early."

Ariana whipped around, heart in her throat. Kaitlynn was standing directly behind her.

"You're here!" Ariana squealed. She threw her arms around Kaitlynn's neck and squeezed.

"Okay. What was that?" Kaitlynn asked when Ariana released her. There were dark circles under Kaitlynn's eyes and her short blond hair was frizzy and unkempt. She wore her black wool coat over jeans, and her sneakers were caked with mud.